Paul Ioannidis

Paul J. Ioannidis (22 February 1924 – 1 May 2021) was a German-born Greek pilot, resistance fighter, and later shipping industry executive.

In June 1944, following orders from the Allied Force Headquarters, he escaped from Greece with two British officers (McIntyre and Bob Morton) and reached Cairo.

He later returned these distinctions to Charles Peake, British Ambassador in Athens, on 10 May 1956, in protest at the execution of two Cypriot EOKA militants in Nicosia.

He was employed by the Greek air carrier TAE, which became Olympic Airways (OA) upon acquisition by Aristotle Onassis in 1957.

He also flew the Royal Family for 12 years, as Captain on OA and the VIP aircraft of the Greek Air Force.

From the start of his career, Ioannidis was concerned with aviation safety, particularly with reducing the risk of human error, the main cause of all accidents in the field of transportation.